A majority of Americans don't believe Chris Christie's story

(Image credit: (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images))

last updated 8 January 2015

Ever since the "Bridgegate" scandal broke into the national headlines, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has insisted he knew nothing about the traffic jam caused by his closest aides in a ham-handed attempt at political retribution.

His denials started with a two-hour marathon press conference when he claimed he was "blindsided" by the news.

He later told Yahoo News, "I don't think anybody knows what it feels like to have the kind of attention that I've had in the last nine days until you go through it... It's awful. Listen, it's awful. I can explain to you as vividly as you like, but you won't get it."

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Christie kept playing the victim at a series of political fundraisers last weekend in Florida, Politico reports: "He just said how sad and disappointed he was… It was like a family member turning on him. He said it was just really painful."

But a new USA Today/Pew Research poll finds that of those Americans following the story, 58 percent do not think Christie was unaware that his aides caused the traffic jams for political payback. Only 32 percent said they believed the governor was unaware of his aides' actions.

Even more striking is how Christie's unfavorable rating has now doubled since last year, from 17 percent to 34 percent.

Ongoing investigations by the New Jersey legislature, the U.S. Attorney's office, and the media will ultimately help determine whether Christie is telling the truth. But so far, Americans are not buying it.

Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won â€” Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.